Characterisation of microdisplay surfaces

Characterisation of microdisplay surfaces

Client: Forth Dimension Displays, a market leader in microdisplays

Service: Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy

In high-resolution, near-to-eye microdisplays, the surface quality of the silicon display chip surface on which the liquid crystal sits is crucial in ensuring images are depicted with the highest image quality.

Forth Dimension Displays enlisted our expertise to perform characterisation of their display surfaces using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Our AFM instruments, operated in their most basic mode, measure the interaction of a sharp probe tip with the material surface as it is scanned across it. This topography mode can provide images showing roughness or relief in surfaces over areas ranging from the nanometre scale to sub-millimetre scale and changes in surface height from sub-1 nanometre to 10's of microns.

Even more powerfully, the sharp AFM probes can be functionalised to map variations in the electrical, magnetic or mechanical (eg hardness) properties of material surfaces.

We obtained further insight into the surface quality of the microdisplays using specialist Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) facilities provided by our partner ISAAC facility.